Pingry's Vanasse is Courier News Girls XC Runner of the Year
Nikki Vanasse’s season – her whole outlook on cross country running, really – changed during a race that she lost by 37 seconds.
When the Pingry School sophomore looked ahead and saw Warren Hills’ Alexa Westley running away with the Skyland Conference Championships in October, she looked inside and found a burst of speed and self-confidence that hadn’t been there before.
The day she broke free from a pack of runners to claim second place, Vanasse learned that she could run headfirst through limitations and expectations and even the pain of physical exertion as if she were crashing through a wall.
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On a team that dubs itself the Champions of Pain, and rallies around the motto, “You can overcome more pain than your opponent,” Vanasse’s performance was a revelation.
“She was running with the other girls and just trying to think, ‘I just have to beat this pack I’m with. That other girl (Westley) is better than me,’” coach Tim Grant said. “So then after the race, she kind of came over to me and said, ‘You know what, I might be able to run with her (Westley).’ So, I think that was one of those moments where she saw herself as an elite runner.”
Said Vanasse: “Even though I didn’t win, my goal going into that race wasn’t to win. I didn’t even think I was going to be, I don’t know, top four or five. Just to finish second was surprising for me.”
A few weeks later, The Courier News Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year captured the NJSIAA Prep State Champioships in 19:26, followed by the Non-Public A title in 18:45. The week after that, she zoomed to a third-place finish at the Meet of Champions. Vanasse finished in 18:23, just 10 seconds behind senior Monica Hebner of Northern Highlands and just five seconds behind senior Alyssa Aldridge of Mainland. Then on Saturday, facing the best runners from New Jersey and seven other states, she placed sixth at the Nike Cross Regionals Northeast in Wappingers Falls, N.Y.
This season Vanasse also won the Skyland Conference Valley Division Championships in 19:40, the Shore Coaches Invitational (19:31) and the Somerset County Championships in 18:45.
Vanasse’s success is hard-earned. She tries to literally go the extra mile when she can. Even while she’s running, she does a lot of mental imaging.
“In training, mostly I’m just thinking about the competitors that are so great,” she said. “They’re out, running. (I’m) just envisioning that person in front of me.”
Grant said Vanasse’s progress was “an inspiration” to the members of the team, but it’s not the only way she serves as a leader.
When the Big Blue go through tempo runs aimed at improving their anaerobic thresholds, Vanasse naturally finishes first. She will stop, turn around and urge each runner to try to reach the times they are trying to hit. She greets each runner with the same enthusiasm, right down to the ones who are new to the sport and struggling to make their times.
When the long cross country season inevitably reveals so many hills and dales like some winding, woodsy course, Vanasse doesn’t have to look far for help. Her dad, Gerry, finished second in the 1984 Boston Marathon. Her mom, Kelly (nee Groteke), was a two-time track All-American and team captain at Yale. They sometimes impart sage wisdom, but mostly they marvel at her dedication.
“Most of the pride (as parents) comes from watching her prepare,” Gerry said. “Those summer months and the weekends and holidays and she is still diligent, gets her runs in, does all the little things that add up to big things.”
Her No. 1 fan, however, is Grandpa. Kurt Groteke is at all her races, and his exaltations spur her on.
“It’s a great motivator,” Vanasse said. “I always hear him yelling from the sidelines. He always has that line that he yells, ‘Kick it in.’ It actually really does help me a lot. It’s really special to have that during the races.”
He’ll be cheering for her next fall when she affixes her gaze at a Meet of Champions title.
“I think that’s a great goal for me next year,” she said. “The competition this year, the two girls (who finished first and second at the Meet of Champions), they’re going to graduate. It’s going to be interesting to see who’s going to (move to the front). But I’m just (going to be) training hard and remembering the competition because New Jersey is a great state for running.”